Initial interviews for Visit Estes Park’s chief executive officer will be conducted Thursday, Sept. 4, during a special executive session of the board of directors.
Interviews will be held in private and are protected by Colorado law, according to Chair Sean Jurgens. There was no indication as to how many individuals were being considered for the position.
“Once any candidate is in the finalist (position), everything else will be done in public,” Jurgens announced during the board’s regular Aug. 28 meeting.
The decision to conduct initial interviews follows an executive session the board held on Aug. 22. Searchwide Global representatives Kelli Henderson and Sarah Nielsen also attended that meeting. Searchwide Global, an executive recruitment firm primarily serving the travel and tourism industry, was hired last year to lead the local marketing district’s efforts to identify a new CEO.
The CEO position has been unfilled for a year. Finance Director Mike Zumbaugh has served as the interim CEO during that time.
Since the board first identified finalists for the position in January, two personnel investigations have been conducted. Both resulted in no decision and subsequently delayed action by the board. Further delaying the selection was a request by Trustee Kirby Hazelton, who asked the county commissioners to remove and replace all members of the VEP board.
Rather than making a unilateral decision about the request, Larimer County officials met with Estes Park Town Trustees to discuss the direction and methods of operation of the board that both governmental agencies appoint.
Appointments and oversight of the Visit Estes Park board are the responsibility of both the county and the town based on Colorado law and the intergovernmental agreement that formed the marketing district. County and town supervision is required because the district’s boundaries include properties in both jurisdictions.
During a meeting between the two boards, it was decided that staff from both agencies would prepare amendments to the current agreement. Neither group has yet reviewed that revision. Town Administrator Travis Machalek recently said the document would be considered soon.